Internal-combustion engine.



C. OWENS. INTERNAL COMBIJSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED m4. 1:. m6. RENEWED 020. 3. m1.

1,264,968. Patented May 7,1918

F1 .1. J K

Invenibr:

Charles Owens,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES OWENS, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE INTERHAL-COMIBU8TION ENGINE,

Specification or Letters Patent.

0 Patented May 7, 1918.

Application fled January 16, 1916, Serial No. 72,279. Renewed December 8, 1817. Serial m. 205,284.

lb all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES OWENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in In.-

.ternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

y present invention relates to improved internal combustion engines and to the method of o crating the same, and has among its ob ects to increase the efficiency of the engine and decrease the consumption of fuel.

The invention includes the novel structural arrangement and method of operation hereinafter more particularly described and defined in the appended claim.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents in side elevation (partly broken away) a multiple cylinder en ine of the. type usually embodied in automo ile construction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view.

Re errin by reference characters to this drawing, desi ates the radiator of the en ine which is mdicated by letter B.

he exhaust manifold is lettered C and the carburetor D. E indicates a needle valve which controls a passage leading into the manifold F, with which passa e connects a pipe G of small diameter or the su ply of aqueous liquid.

he needle valve E is preferabl so as to be controlled from the ash board J when used in connection with automobile engines by rod H, and the needle valve cl of the carbureter may likewise be arranged to be controlled by rod I.

The stem of the needle valve of the carbureter is provided with an arm d, which in turn is connected by a link (1 with an arm is connected to the pivot pin le of a butterfly valve is located in the air intake passage 7: leadin to the carburetor.

The intake end of pipe G connects with a source of water supply, to wit, the water space of the radiator, and I preferably extend said end 9 down into the pipe or con nection a which discharges the heated water from the water jacket of the engine to the upper part or tank of the radiator, this arrangement dispensing with the necessity of a strainer.

From this point of connection to the radiator, the pipe G passes to the rear of the arranged engine and enters the exhaust manifold (I, when it connects with or merges into a pi e G which passes longitudinall through said manifold to the front end, w ience it issues at the point indicated at g and extends to or connects with the fuel intake at the needle valve connection E by pipe extension or connection G.

It will be understood that the pipe portions lettered G, G and G ma separate ipes connected toget able coup ngs, or maybe made tinuous pipe as desired.

This tube G, G, G, or at least portion G which passes through the exhaust manifold, is of larger diameter and made of copper or by suitag one conbe made as or some similar material which is a good gasole'ne, it is decomposed into its constituwith vaporized cnt elements of hydrogen and oxygen, and j combines with 'the hydrocarbons of the mixture from the carbureter to form practically a water gas.

The precise method of operati ginc or motor equipped as above is as follows The motor is started with a gasolene inixture normally used to run the inotor. @As soon as the motor has run a fnmnte or two, or long enough to get the exhaust pipe C hot, the hand e H of the needle valve E is given a slight turn suflicient to 0 en the valve. As soon as this is opened t GG'-G an enascribed 2 is unobstructed throughout ts entire extent and the suction of the engine in drawing the mixture from themanifold F into the cylinders of the motor, is suflicient to draw water from the radiator A through the pipe portion G into the portion As soon as the water strikes the pipe G if is immediately converted into steam, the water continuing to flow through the pipe G into the pipe G until the steam pres sure is equal to or greater than the vacuum pl'l sflfi caused by the suction action of the pistons of the engine, at which time the Wale" will be automatically cut oil by the occupation of the vacuum by the steam,

e P p v The suction from the pistons of the motor in drawin the mixture from the menifold immediate begins to draw in the hot steam or vapor a ong with the gasol'c'ne mixture.

As soon as this occurs it becomes necessary to close down on the needle valve of the carburetor D in order to reduce the gasolene mixture, this at the same time causing the supply or]? air to be reduced by the connections to the butterfly valve already described.

The result is an increased power from th s motor.

As soon as the suction action of the pietons has drawn enough of the steam from the tube G to begin to cause a partial vacuum in the tube G, water again. is drawn from the radiator A through the pipe G into the hot pipe G in the exhaust e C, and the water conning in contact m the hot tube G is. again converted into steam and all water remaining in the pipe G. is again returned by the steam into the radiator A as soon as the steam pressure in the pipe G exceeds the vacuum pressure 0! the P13- tons. The steam which passes firom the pipe G into the radiator A is condensed, owing to the fact that it passes into the water.

Two things are very noticeable with this system:

The diminished uantity of gasolene required and the sma 1E openin that is necessary to give the throttle. ontinued tests have demonstrated a very material increase in efficiency, and power.

It is very apparent in the operation of the motor that it runs best when barely enough solene is permitted to go in to insure com ustion.

A chemical analysis of my improved mixture, including the superheated steam and the ordinary mixture of air and gasolene, shows the following:

Table #1. Improved mimture.

Carbon dioxid 12% Oxygen 20. 40% Carbon monoxid 36% Hydrogen .24% Hydrocarbons as propane- .7172; Nitrogen 78.17%

Table #2. Ordinary mixture.

Hydrogen Hydrocarbons as propane 2. 9%

Nitrogen A comparison of these tables shows that my improved mixture, while containing a lower percentage of hydrocarbons as topane (which is a combustible of low ca oric value) on the other hand contains carbon monoxid and hydrogen (both absent from on the ordinary mixture), which are combustibies of very high caloric val-no, y therefore, my improved mixture While requiring less gasolene, gives greater power by reason of the eater caloric value of the hydro- 1o gen an carbon monoxid.

While I have referred above to opening the needle valve E as soon as the engine gets heated up, it will be understood that;

this need not be necessarily wide open, 18 16 under certain conditions it may be desirable to va the area at the passage leading to the in ct manifold to provide local control for the passage of steam. This in no way alters the fact that the passage of deem. to 80 the intake and engine cylinders is verled solely by the vacuum pressure pro need by the pistons through the pipe being 0 on throughout its entire length to simply one the variation in the amount of steam drawn at in b said vacuum pressure to be varied at will to suit conditions.

I claim as my invention In COIl'lbil'lttblOD. with an internal combustion engine and a water supply means for automatically generating and supplying a combustible mixture to the fuel intake of the engine, a pipe having one end directed downwardly into the water of the system and its other end communicating directly at with the fuel intake betyveen the carburetor, and the engine, said 571% being normally open and unobstructe throughout its entire extent and having a portion passing through the path of the exhaust gases to be acted on by direct contact therewith, and of dimensions to constitute a flash steam generator and superheater, said unobstructed pipe permitting it to be normallyiilled with superheated steam at substantially the same 106 pressure as that caused by the suction action of the pistons. which steam is withdrawn! and replaced by steam generated by addi-- tional water, the supply of said additional water being governed solelyby the suction 110 created by the suction stroke of the piston, and the degree of applied heat from the exhaust of the engine.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES OWENS.

Witnesses:

STELLA L. CAmNns, A. M. Drcnsnson. 

